The WS Scharff Family Foundation (“Scharff Foundation”) is a left-of-center private grantmaking organization. The Scharff Foundation has provided financial support for environmentalist organizations, organizations that focus on social policies based on race and gender, and organizations that support individuals with disabilities.

History

The WS Scharff Foundation was created in 1990 by Werner and Simone Scharff. Werner Scharff was a German American fashion designer and owner of multiple landmark buildings in Venice Beach, California, including the Cadillac Hotel, Beach House on Ocean Front Walk, L.A. Louver, and the James Beach Cafe. ¹

Finances

In 2019, the Scharff Foundation received $49,766 in total revenue. ² The same year, the Fund incurred $45,789 in expenses ³ and possessed $667,493 in net assets. ⁴

Grantmaking

ACLU

In 2019 the Scharff Foundation contributed to the ACLU Foundation ($5,000), an organization that opposes voter integrity laws through various means, including litigation to halt attempts to establish voter ID laws. ⁵

Race and Gender-Focused Social Policy

The Scharff Foundation has contributed to organizations that engaged in race and gender-focused policy, including the Venice Community Housing, a housing organization that supports the Black Lives Matter movement and defunding the police ⁶ and V-Day, a left-of-center feminist organization created by V (the former Eve Ensler), the author of the Vagina Monologues play. ⁷

In 2019, the Scharff Foundation contributed to Venice Community Housing ($5,000), Venice Family Clinic ($6,215), and V-Day ($3,000). ⁸

Environmentalist Organizations

In 2019 the Scharff Foundation contributed to a number of environmentalist organizations, including the Natural Resources Defense Council ($5,000), Heal the Bay ($4,000), the Marine Mammal Center ($1,000), and Friends of the Earth ($1,000). ⁹

Disability and Community Support

In 2019 the Scharff Foundation contributed to a number of organizations that support individuals with specific disabilities and community organizations, including the Firefighters Support Foundation ($10,035), American Injured Veterans Foundation ($10,000), National Parkinson Foundation ($10,000), Disabled Police and Sheriffs Foundation ($5,000), Neighborhood Youth Association ($5,000), Habitat for Humanity ($5,000), California Police Activities League ($500), Virginia Institute of Autism ($2,500), Share ($5,000), and City of Hope ($1,000). ¹⁰

Religious Organizations

In 2019 the Scharff Foundation contributed to the World Jewish Congress ($1,000). ¹¹

Support for International Institutions

In 2019 the Scharff Foundation contributed to the United Nations, specifically the US Fund for United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) ($10,000). ¹²

Leadership

Simone Scharff is the president of the Scharff Foundation. ¹³ She is the widow of German-American fashion designer and real estate owner Werner Scharff. ¹⁴

1. “Werner Scharff” People-Pill. https://peoplepill.com/people/werner-g-scharff
2. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). WS Scharff Family Foundation. Part I, line 12. 2019
3. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). WS Scharff Family Foundation. Part I, line 26. 2019.
4. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). WS Scharff Family Foundation. Part II, line 30. 2019.
5. “About the Voting Rights Project” ACLU Foundation. https://www.aclu.org/other/about-voting-rights-project
6. “Black Lives Matter Los Angeles” Venice Community Housing. https://www.vchcorp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/June-2020-VCH-Staff-Newsletter-Final.pdf
7. “About V-Day” V-Day. https://www.vday.org/about-v-day/
8.  Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). WS Scharff Family Foundation. Part XV, line 3. 2019.
9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). WS Scharff Family Foundation. Part XV, line 3. 2019.
10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). WS Scharff Family Foundation. Part XV, line 3. 2019.
11. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). WS Scharff Family Foundation. Part XV, line 3. 2019.
12. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). WS Scharff Family Foundation. Part XV, line 3. 2019.
13. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). WS Scharff Family Foundation. Part VIII, line 1. 2019.
14. Hevesi, Dennis. “Werner Scharff, 90, Designer of a Classic Warm Nightgown, Dies.” The New York Times. The New York Times, August 31, 2006. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/31/business/werner-scharff-90-designer-of-a-classic-warm-nightgown-dies.html.